Need To Know

Vienna is the capital of Austria, but throughout history is has changed many times. It was an Imperial city between 1558 and 1918. Then, until 1806, it was the seat of the Holy Roman Empire and after that, it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1867 and 1918. After World War I the Republic of Austria emerged, and during the Second World War (1938-1945) it became part of Hitler's 'Greater' Germany and Vienna was 'Greater' Vienna. After the war was over, the country was occupied by 5 different forces (British, Soviet, French and American), and Vienna was divided in 5 areas that included an international zone. Finally, Austria regained independence with the 1955 State Treaty and Vienna became the capital again. In consecuence of all this changes, the city has a mix of architectures and traditions.

Vienna is sometimes known as the "City of Music" because of its musical legacy, such as Mozart and Schubert, and it's sometimes also referred to as the "City of Dreams" because of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis.

Vienna isn't a dangerous city, but as in every touristic city you have to be careful with pickpockets.

Most shops open from 9:00 to 19:30 during the week and between 9:00 and 18:00-19:00 on Saturdays, depending on the area.

On Sundays and holidays almost every store is closed, except for supermarkets in train stations and the ones in the airport.

Walk as much as you can so you take in the beautiful architecture and spaces of the city. For longer distances:

Public Transport

Vienna's public transport works very good and it consists of metro, buses, trams, trains and S-Bahn regional trains. There are different tickets you can purchase: single tickets are €2.20 and you can change lines with it. There's a 24-hour ticket that costs €7.60, 48-hour ticket costs €13.30 and 72-hour ticket costs €16.50, you have to validate the three of them the first time you use any mean of transport. Be careful with weekly tickets, which cost €16.20, and are valid from Monday to Sunday, but if you buy them on a Thursday you will only have until Sunday.

The Vienna City Card gives you unlimited access to public transport, you can check it out in this link.

Citybike

Citybike gives you the posibility to access bikes that are scattered in stations all over the city. You have to register online, you can do it here, and you will have to pay a fee of € 1.00. Once registered you'll have access to the bikes with a free first hour, the second hour of uninterrupted use is € 1.00, the third hour is € 2.00 and the fourth hour is € 4.00.

The most comfy & Panoramic way: Hop On- Hop Off buses

Hop On - hop off buses are the perfect option for those who don’t like crowded metros or buses. You'll be able to hop on and off on the different stops they have designated. I explain them in the box below.

There are different companies that provide this service:

- Big Bus Vienna: you can buy tickets for 1, 2 or 3 consecutive days. There are 2 routes with over 25 stops around the city. There's the option of Premium and Deluxe tickets that include a Guided Walking tour around the city and a Hundertwasser tour. The price goes from € 30 per person. You can buy a ticket in this link.

- Vienna Sightseeing: it offers the option of tickets for 24, 48 and 72 hours. It has 5 different routes with 50 stops around the city and it includes a Guided Walking tour. The amount of routes included in the ticket depends on the length of it, the 72 hour ticket has all of them included.  The price goes from € 25 per person. You can buy a ticket in this link.

The official language in Austria is German, but in Vienna, as it's a very touristic city, most people speak English too. Here are some words in German if you want to give them a try:

- Hello: Hallo

- Good morning: Guten Morgen

- Good afternoon: Guten tag

- Good night: Gute Nacht

- Goodbye: Auf Wiedersehen

- Bitte: please / you're welcome

- Danke schön : thank you very much

- Danke: thanks

- Yes: Ja

- No: Nien

There are different ways to get from Vienna International airport to the city center:

The most common options with Public Transport: Trains

There are 2 trains you can catch. The S7 S-Bahn goes from the Airport to Wien Mitte in about 25 minutes. A single ticket costs around €4.20, and it leaves every 30 minutes. Tickets can be bought at the machines. The City Airport Train (CAT) gets to Wien Mitte in about 16 minutes. A ticket costs 12€ and it also departs every 30 minutes. You can buy tickets for the CAT here.

The fastest and most comfortable door-to-door option: Private transfer

With this service your driver will be waiting for you at the arrival hall and you'll avoid long queues for a taxi. The price is approximately €35 per car, depending on the location of your hotel, and it takes approx. 20 min. to get to destination. You can book a car here.

There are also taxis, but they are approx. the same price as a private transfer and the airport is usually crowded, so it can take long to get one.

Other options with Public Transport: bus

There are also 2 options: the Air-Liner bus goes to the Vienna international bus terminal and Hauptbahnhof central rail station in approx. 15 minutes, departing every 1-2 hours. A single ticket costs around €5. The other option is the Vienna airport lines that offers 3 different lines. They depart every 30-60 minutes, it gets to the center in around 20-45 minutes and cost around €8.

There are some passes that offer different possibilities in order to make your visit to Vienna easier:

-The Vienna City Card is valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours. It provides unlimited access to public transportation (metro, buses, trams, regional trains and night buses) and discounts to enter over 210 museums, points of interest, shops, theaters, cafés and restaurants. The price goes from € 17. You can check the details and buy the card through this link.

- The Vienna PASS is valid for 1, 2, 3, or 6 consecutive days. It provides free access to some of the attractions, like Schönbrunn Palace, the Giant Ferris Wheel, the Spanish Riding School and the Albertina Museum, including some skip-the-line tickets, and unlimited travel on the hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses that have 6 routes. The price goes from € 70. You can check the details and buy the card through this link.

- The Vienna Flexipass lets you choose 3, 4 or 5 attractions out of a list of 30 to enter for free, including a Hop-on Hop-off Ticket for 24-hours, the Albertina, Schönbrunn Zoo and the Ferris wheel. The price goes from € 45. You can check the details and buy the card through this link.

- The Sisi Ticket is valid to visit the Hofburg, the Imperial Furniture Collection and Schönbrunn Palace with a fast track admission to the Grand tour with audio guide. It costs € 34,00 for adults and you can buy it in this link.